Yellow Vest demonstrators and a group of protesters faced off in downtown Kingston on Saturday afternoon.

Four Yellow Vests and at least a dozen individuals from Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights Queen’s, Idle No More Kingston, and the general public clashed in front of City Hall in Confederation Basin on Feb. 16.

Members of each group shouted at each other and chanted, while Kingston Police officers stepped between members of each side on multiple occasions and reminded both groups to stay off the sidewalk.

A Kingston Police officer confirmed that both groups had notified police that they would be at Confederation Basin on Saturday afternoon.

Annette Bauml, not affiliated with any group, said she was joining protesters on Saturday to “stand up in unity against hatred in our community.”

Police asked protesters to step back as they approached Yellow Vest demonstrators at Confederation Basin in downtown Kingston on Saturday. (Meghan Balogh/The Whig-Standard)KI

“I’m concerned that hatred is taking a foothold in the community, across Canada, frankly,” Bauml said. “It’s everywhere. It’s pretty scary some days. I want to stand up with people who need the support, and people who are being hurt by the hatred and bigotry.”

Bauml described herself as an ally to those in visible minorities.

“I get to walk down the street and I could be wilfully blind, I could choose to be. I think a number of people are. They don’t choose to see it. I can accept that and stand here with people who are a minority. We are stronger together.”

Karin Stampe, one of four Yellow Vest demonstrators who wore yellow and held signs, said that she and other Yellow Vesters in Canada are tired of the “lies that are coming from the Trudeau government.”

She described the Yellow Vest movement as “anti-globalism.”

“You can’t have open borders when you can’t afford to keep those people,” she said. “They’re putting them up in hotels, and Canadians out on the streets are dying.”

Stampe said that Islam makes her afraid in Kingston.

“I am afraid in this town,” she said.

“Read the Qur’an,” she shouted at protesters, who chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here.”

She said that the Yellow Vest movement is not racist.

“This is not about racism,” Stampe said. “If you pay attention to what’s going on in Europe, there’s a lot of problems over there. It’s really terrible.”

Jason Shamatutu joined protesters when he heard about the “racist white supremacists” who were scheduled to demonstrate downtown.

“I want to support a community that is inclusive of everyone,” he said. “I want to see us all living in harmony together. So I came to show my support for the people who experience racism, for those who are maybe too afraid to share their voice, and also on the topic of colonization, I’m here to show my respect for the people who were colonized by the Europeans hundreds of years ago.”

Isabella Harpell has been involved with Yellow Vests for two years.

“This is a very liberal city. You can see the small amount of people here,” she said. “But in Ottawa and Toronto the numbers are much higher … in those cities, these [protesters] would never be this close to us. It’s scary.”

Harpell said that Canada’s sovereignty has been “given away” and that refugees who end up in Canada receive “more benefits and privileges than the people who are here.”

Harpell said that Yellow Vests advocate for free speech, pipelines, the elimination of the carbon tax, and stand against illegal immigration, Shariah Law, “political correctness” and “corrupt government and media.”

“We want the media to tell the truth,” she said. “I find most of my information on social media. I have to skim through it and shred it apart.”

She believes that Canadians should come first.

“I am Canadian and I see little by little our freedoms are going away,” Harpell said. “Three years ago, I became a nanny, and I’m worried about her future, especially with this Shariah Law. People think that it can’t happen, but it’s happening little by little.”

Bauml believes that Kingston is a good city, but she sees signs of social decay.

“There are little signs,” Bauml said before the protest got underway. “I like to think we’re all very inclusive and accepting and a welcoming community. That’s what Kingston is for me, and when I see that it’s not, it’s hurtful.”